The new Middlesbrough manager, Tony Mowbray, has insisted he is unperturbed by parallels reminding him of his disastrous time managing Celtic.

In what is the stuff of pub trivia, Mowbray has succeeded Gordon Strachan, whom he also replaced at Parkhead to start an ill-fated, nine-month reign in Glasgow; more intriguing is the identity of several of the players Mowbray has inherited on Teesside. The manager allowed Barry Robson, Willo Flood, Scott McDonald and Stephen McManus to leave Celtic during his time there, while Kris Boyd and Kevin Thomson were, at that point, key players at city rivals Rangers. All are in the present Middlesbrough squad.

"Those boys know there was no fall-out with the manager and no animosity between us," Mowbray said of the players he allowed to follow Strachan south. "Football players understand how things work. For those boys, Gordon knew what good professionals they were and he brought them here. That suited all parties at the time. They were all sitting in the front row when I had my first meeting with them as Middlesbrough players. They all looked me right in the eye and hopefully they are looking forward to it."

The manager who won promotion to the Premier League with West Bromwich Albion in 2008 disputes, then, that Strachan's signing policy was flawed despite Middlesbrough lying third bottom of the Championship. "These guys are more than capable of playing here," the new manager said. "They are talented boys and driven football players."

Mowbray's return to football would have been welcomed by Celtic. The Scottish club had continued to pay their former manager since his sacking in March, after being unable to agree a compensation deal. That situation would have continued until next year had Mowbray not entered new employment. Celtic are believed to have saved £340,000 by the 46-year-old taking charge of his boyhood heroes.

"This is a club I have been passionate about all of my life," said Mowbray, who was revered at the club during his decade there as a player. "I have been away from here for 19 years and every week my phone has gone, telling me the Boro score and how they played. This is a special place."

Mowbray denied he had been seriously wounded by the brevity of his Celtic tenure. "That didn't hinder my confidence or belief that I can build winning football teams that play entertaining stuff," he added.

Keith Lamb, Middlesbrough's chief executive, said: "We are very lucky to have appointed the man who was at the top of our list."